HOUSE BILL REPORT

SSB 6038

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Education: 2/17/12, 2/21/12 [DP];

Capital Budget: 2/23/12 [DP].

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

Directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to adopt rules to ensure that a host school district of a shared or co-located facility is not penalized when calculations are made for state school construction assistance.

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 20 members: Representatives Santos, Chair; Lytton, Vice Chair; Dammeier, Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Dahlquist, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Ahern, Angel, Billig, Fagan, Finn, Haigh, Hargrove, Hunt, Klippert, Ladenburg, Liias, Maxwell, McCoy, Parker and Wilcox.

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 11 members: Representatives Dunshee, Chair; Ormsby, Vice Chair; Warnick, Ranking Minority Member; Zeiger, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Asay, Jinkins, Lytton, Pearson, Smith, Tharinger and Wylie.

Background:

School districts may be eligible for state funding assistance for school construction to build new facilities or modernize existing facilities. Three primary factors determine the amount of state assistance a district may receive: (1) the square footage of instructional space for which the state will provide funding assistance; (2) the cost per square foot the state will match; and (3) the matching ratio which relates to equalizing the school districts' wealth by providing a greater percentage of state funds to economically disadvantaged districts.

There are provisions in law and rules adopted by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) regarding state assistance when a construction project is jointly financed by multiple districts. However, other rules may provide a disincentive for joint ventures where multiple school districts are operating an educational program in a single facility. For example, the host school district might not qualify for state funding assistance to add square footage in other buildings to serve its own students if the instructional space in the shared facility is counted in the allowable space calculations.

Summary of Bill:

The OSPI must adopt rules to ensure that a host school district of a shared or co-located facility is not penalized when calculations are made for state school construction assistance.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Education):

(In support) Delta High School is a cooperative between the Pasco, Richland, and Kennewick School Districts. It has been a tremendous success, but the current facility is located within the Richland School District and there is concern that it would be counted against them if they need to expand for their own facilities. The intent of the bill is simply to be clear and provide assurance that host school districts will not be penalized for cooperative activities.

(Opposed) None.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Capital Budget):

(In support) The three school districts in the Tri-Cities have created a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) school called Delta High School with approximately 400 students. The students come from each of the three districts via a lottery system, and the current school is located in the Richland School District. The community is raising funds to build a facility, but Richland School District is concerned that building a shared facility in their district will have an impact on their eligibility for state funding assistance for their own construction projects. This bill is intended to put them at ease with regard to those concerns.

(Opposed) None.